When I type up a line or a short passage from a novel to post online, I often "clean it up" a little, and I'm wondering how much of this is OK.
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posted by pete_22
on Jun 9, 2013 -
49 answers
Writers, and novelists or fiction writers in particular, can you share your goals, processes and timelines for each of your drafts?
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posted by thinkpiece
on May 19, 2013 -
8 answers
Folks I know get published! Yay them! Go them! But shamefully,
it.. the ...the flames, flames...on the side of my face...breathing...heaving breaths. How do I tame my inner envy monster?
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posted by angrycat
on May 2, 2013 -
24 answers
Years ago (years!) I recall a TV show with Carl Sagan wherein he was standing in a library and made the point that if he read
x books per week for
x number of years then he would have read a small fraction of the books that have ever been written. His point was that even a well-read person can only ingest a fraction of what is out there.
I've always like that quote and would like to find this scene on YouTube or another site...
Anyone?
posted by gilast
on Apr 7, 2013 -
3 answers
Are there other simple-to-express checks like the Bechdel Test for measuring gender bias and feminism in fiction? I try hard to make sure I'm being a decent feminist as a writer -- I'm a guy, I tend to write with male protagonists but with a lot of female characters involved, and I worry about my blind spots.
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posted by scaryblackdeath
on Mar 19, 2013 -
18 answers
There seems to be huge number of online work/project tracking/logging programs out there, but they are mostly designed for small businesses and freelancers (e.g. focussed on invoicing) and charge by the month. I've seen a few that look OK like Toggl and Slimtimer but none that seems ideal for my needs yet. Can anyone recommend ones (ideally free and with the ability to track different tasks & share that tracking/logging) that are easy to use, have decent functionality, and would be good for 2 friends working on writing their PhD theses and would like to try and help each other keep track of how much work they're doing?
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posted by zresearch
on Mar 10, 2013 -
6 answers
I need an editor (copy and content) for an edgy, non-traditional chapbook of poems. Word count is light -- around 4,000. Budget is nearly non-existent (this is an art project) but there would be some kind of honorarium attached. Can someone help me find a good, trusty editor?
posted by nowhere man
on Mar 3, 2013 -
6 answers
I'm a freelance writer in the second year of my career, as well as a lifelong creative writer with several published works. I've done a lot of performing arts blogging and local news writing and I'd like to build on that and get into more paying work as well as increase my publication credits. I've been recommended to join Writer's Market. Have others had worthwhile experiences with the service? Also happy to hear about other options.
Thanks!
posted by letstrythis
on Feb 28, 2013 -
5 answers
When addressing a formal or business letter to multiple parties, say, A, B, and C, is there a rule for the order, e.g. by how important people are? I.e. if A is more important than B is more important than C, is it:
Dear Mr. A, Ms. B and Dr. C: or
Dear Dr. C., Ms. B and Mr. A:
and are there style guides that I can reference for this?
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posted by raspberry jam and clothes iron
on Feb 9, 2013 -
5 answers
I'm a writer who has two one-act plays on in a theatre. I am also directing them but this will be my first time working as a director. What do you think makes a good director? What positive and negative experiences have you have and what could I do to make this go brilliantly?
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posted by Nufkin
on Jan 27, 2013 -
10 answers
Here's an European writing a book/thesis about storytelling in journalism. What texts (linguistics, literary theory etc – preferably *not* mass communication theory) might help in analysing contemporary changes in that field?
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posted by earthwormsleg
on Jan 24, 2013 -
2 answers
I'm considering writing a technical book, mostly a labour of love. I want to do the writing process online, like Bruce Eckel did for his excellent
Thinking in Java years ago. In order to facilitate user feedback, Eckel had a very fine-grained commenting system, which he developed himself and called TalkBack. At the end of each paragraph there was a "comment" link that let users comment on that particular paragraph. Are there any other CMS that offers fine-grained feedback like that? I'm aware of an older (2003-2004?) Zope TalkBack implementation, but would like something more current. And if you think I'm looking for the wrong thing and should go about writing a book on the web differently, please chime in!
posted by Harald74
on Jan 22, 2013 -
8 answers
I came across the phrase "in his/her/my wheelhouse" last year for the first time and was shocked to learn there's an entire genre of writing with its own set of metaphors that I know nothing about. Sportswriting!
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posted by spamandkimchi
on Jan 20, 2013 -
38 answers
I've recently started listening to
Scriptnotes, a great podcast by John August and Craig Mazin about screenwriting. Is there a similar podcast about novel/short story writing, or indeed writing in general? Podcasts I already subscribe to and key things I like about Scriptnotes inside.
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posted by Happy Dave
on Jan 18, 2013 -
4 answers
I've always had communications-related jobs, but they never seem to be the right fit. I'm a great writer (although I have a love/hate relationship with writing), but I also helping enjoy helping people and interacting with people, etc., and writing is a pretty solitary job. (Well, PR isn't, but that's one area I want to stay away from, as well as fundraising). Have any other writer-types who are like me found a solution? (Oh, and I don't want to take on grad-school loans right now.)
posted by trillian
on Dec 14, 2012 -
15 answers
Creating an index of first lines, from a group of many poems, each stored in a seperate .txt file. Are there any applications or scripts that would help me to do that?
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posted by dylan_k
on Dec 8, 2012 -
7 answers
As a reader, how do you feel about invented language versus familiar words in imaginary worlds?
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posted by batmonkey
on Nov 21, 2012 -
67 answers
I am putting together a syllabus for a college composition course. I chose "food" as the theme for this semester. I would like to include examples of different kinds of writing about food, ranging from essays to fiction to poetry, as well as some movies. What are your suggestions? I'm open to anything, as long as it has food in it! I already have a list of some of the obvious ones (Michael Pollan, Dinesen's "Babette's Feast," Jiro Dreams of Sushi), but I am hoping the HiveMind can help me make this the most awesome-- and delicious-- writing class ever.
posted by incountrysleep
on Nov 3, 2012 -
62 answers
I'm looking for recommendations for 'good' sports writing; authors and/or publications/websites. Online is preferable but print is fine. Bonus points for excellent Golf writing.
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posted by paulshannon
on Sep 24, 2012 -
9 answers
I am looking for literary works about mountains. I imagine they exist, because being in mountains and climbing them and seeing everything from up high is such a powerful experience. I know there are movies about this (for instance the silent ones by
Arnold Franck), and I suppose there must be an equivalent in writing. Ideally, they would be rather lyrical or poetic texts. Any ideas, hive-mind?
posted by MrMisterio
on Sep 14, 2012 -
21 answers
Can anyone figure out the language/writing on the
bottom of this teapot? If it helps, it was probably purchased in the NYC area between 1940 - 1970.
posted by mikepop
on Aug 27, 2012 -
8 answers
I'm looking for literary/media outlets specifically relevant to purveyors of rambly, tangential narrative mostly-autobiographical non sequiturs (i.e. the sort of writing that's my stock in trade). The recent death of David Rakoff has managed to make my old joke about just accumulating all my writing in a well-marked little box so I can be discovered posthumously seem a little less funny, given that I'm only a few years younger than he is and have been steadfast in my dedication to purposely sabotaging every opportunity that comes my way. Thing is, I have a terrible confession—
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posted by sonascope
on Aug 25, 2012 -
11 answers
How do you write your lowercase 'f's? All above the line or partly below? I'm trying to work out if this is a US/UK-specific thing.
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posted by atlantica
on Aug 14, 2012 -
63 answers
Possibly confirming the obvious - I wrote a crapton of essays and articles for a market that a) was extremely limited and b) doesn't exist any more. I also believe the contract said the original market was "first rights" only. ...It's probably safe to try to pitch polished-up versions of some of those articles to a wider market by now, right?
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posted by EmpressCallipygos
on Jul 31, 2012 -
10 answers
I need an alternative to Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) to use with my 5th grade students.
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posted by robverb
on Jul 29, 2012 -
8 answers
What's an alternative to the phrase "when the shit hits the fan" that means essentially the same thing, e.g. "when stuff goes wrong"? Feel free to be creative.
posted by rzperllian
on Jul 26, 2012 -
82 answers
Help me find this bookfilter: An writer's guide 'interview' with your own fiction character to help uncover their traits and depths. Or, a similar list of interview questions to learn a lot about someone in a short time.
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posted by The otter lady
on Jul 13, 2012 -
5 answers
I love writing letters to people - handwritten, with a fountain pen. Help me find a good paper for this purpose.
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posted by gmb
on Jun 24, 2012 -
7 answers
An editor asked for the full manuscript of my young adult novel. The problem? It isn't finished yet. What do I tell her?
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posted by Shoggoth
on Jun 19, 2012 -
16 answers
My employer is offering to help me train up to become a professional-calibre English-language medical writer. What resources are available to help me?
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posted by Shepherd
on Jun 11, 2012 -
2 answers
Want to find a quote I heard recently about writing good characters. The idea was that a character should be really good at something, but constantly put upon, so that nothing goes their way. Indiana Jones was held up as being a perfect example.
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posted by mumblingmynah
on Jun 11, 2012 -
10 answers
I would like to experiment with writing historical fiction. Are there any resources that describe best practices for this genre? Do you have any experience/recommendations/advice?
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posted by Think_Long
on May 30, 2012 -
8 answers
PlotFilter: I'm researching heat waves in the 1970s (with the sweet spot being between 1972-1976) that would have led to fatalities in the Washington, DC area.
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posted by ilikecookies
on May 21, 2012 -
8 answers
Where can I find some hapless slob (of the discerning, lettered variety) upon whom to foist my amateur fiction writing for the purpose of obtaining constructive feedback?
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posted by Trespassers William
on May 4, 2012 -
15 answers
English language friends: Why do we use the word “different” when it doesn’t appear to be necessary?
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posted by bryon
on Apr 17, 2012 -
18 answers
My moms want me to devote my life to writing. I'm 30 and want to explore life. How do I get them off my back?
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posted by tamagogirl
on Apr 6, 2012 -
31 answers
Am about to buy crappy (but shiny refurbished) Lenovo laptop for my writer bro. Because he's been wanting to devote a single alienatingly bare-bones machine to ONLY word processing, rather than continuing (and failing) to get stuff done on the distractingly multitasking Mac he currently has. (He uses Scrivener and occasionally Open Office rather than MS Word.) Are crappy laptops able to handle super-heavy word-processing?
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posted by taramosalata
on Apr 2, 2012 -
17 answers
I am very, very casually toying with the idea of writing an urban fantasy style novel.
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posted by Quincy
on Mar 28, 2012 -
20 answers
